by Tina Cambria
“But we’ll move forward from today.” He looked deep into Kendra’s eyes. “You gave me a son for Christmas this year. It’s the best Christmas gift I ever got.”
“Seriously?”
“I honestly mean that,” he said.
No amount of blinking could prevent a tear from making its way down her cheek. When Shane handed her a small package and she gently removed the red wrapping paper, she proceeded to open a tiny box containing a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant lined with small purple gemstones. More tears escaped. “This is stunning,” she said.
“Want to put it on?”
She smiled and lifted her hair, so he could fasten the clasp of the necklace. When he leaned close, she took in his masculine scent. Everything felt so good, so right—maybe she was still dreaming?
He snapped the clasp into place. “Those are amethysts. The birthstone for February, when Matt was born.”
She ran a finger over the strand around her neck. Was she going to melt? “You’re thoughtful too. What a wonderful gift. This is turning out to be the perfect Christmas.”
“I thought you deserved to finally get a pretty piece of jewelry to celebrate the birth of our perfect son.”
Their faces were still mere inches apart. A warm musky aroma radiated from him. Her lips parted, and he covered her mouth with a searing kiss. If she was dreaming, the dream could go on for a while.
* * *
A few hours later, the Christmas celebration was in full swing at Alicia and Ryan’s house. Shane felt a mixture of pleasure and pride when everyone laughed after Matt ran into the house and cried out, “I’m gonna get a dog!”
Alicia immediately spotted the new amethyst necklace around Kendra’s neck. “I see Santa was good to you.” She smiled and winked at her sister.
Shane put a protective arm around Kendra. “Uh huh, she’s definitely on Santa’s Nice List.”
Ryan, who’d been sitting at the kitchen table giving the holiday foods a once-over, turned to Shane and said, “Man, I like that scruff thing you’ve got going on. Maybe I can get Alicia to let me skip shaving for a while.
Shane huffed. “It’s only for a few days while I’m off work. Then I’ll be back to the corporate look they expect at QJV during the work week.”
Not too long after that, Shane’s mother arrived with small gifts for everyone. Kendra and Shane exchanged questioning looks and then smiles when Pop’s face lit up. Pop eagerly followed Nancy back out to her car, returning with a warm sweet potato casserole that gave off a tantalizing scent as he carried it into the kitchen.
Pop exuded more energy than usual as he placed the casserole dish on a warming tray Alicia had set up on the kitchen table. “Nothing wrong with a woman who can cook,” he said to no one in particular. Shane laughed agreeably as he and Kendra followed Pop into the kitchen.
Alicia leaned over to peek under the foil covering Mrs. McCarthy’s dish. “That smells fantastic.” Then she glanced at the large metal tub in the corner of the kitchen and turned to her husband. “Hey, Ryan, the ice is melting. I don’t want the beer and sodas to get warm.”
Ryan hopped up from the kitchen chair. “There’s more ice in the freezer out in the garage. I’ll bring in another bag.”
“I’ll go get it.” Shane opened the back door that led to the detached garage at the end of the driveway.
“Hold on there, Shane.” Pop walked toward the door. He glanced at Kendra fussing over a plate of appetizers and hesitated for a second. “I’ll help you bring in the ice.”
“The bag only weighs ten pounds—” Ryan protested, but Alicia cleared her throat and he quickly added, “Er, good idea, Pop. Sometimes that garage door sticks when you try to open it.”
As Shane started through the door, Ryan shot him a thumbs-up sign. “Thanks, man. The freezer is against the back wall of the garage.”
Shane held the door open for Pop and wondered what the warning glance he’d caught Alicia shooting at Ryan had been about. As Kendra and Alicia’s father stepped outside, Shane managed to pick up Alicia’s whisper to her husband that Pop wanted to speak to him privately.
He had to give Ryan props for knowing when it was best not to question his wife. That was a skill that probably took a few years of marriage to develop.
Out in the garage, they easily located the extra ice in the freezer. When Shane lifted the bag of ice, Pop reached out to stop him. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?” Was Kendra’s father going to give him a dressing down over the way he’d been treating his daughter? He probably had it coming. But it sure wasn’t going to make anybody’s Christmas merrier.
“Look, I didn’t get you a Christmas present. I’m not so great with picking out gifts.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Shane said.
“Yeah, well, I’m giving you one now. I think you and Kendra need some time together.” Pop looked at him as though he was sizing him up. “Time alone, just the two of you, to work everything out. Either figure out if you two are going to be a real couple, or if you’re going to stick to sharing Matt’s parenting duties.”
“That’s probably not a bad idea.”
“If you can get the time off over New Year’s, I’ll keep Matt so that you and Kendra can have one of those romantic getaways.” Pop rolled his eyes. “Spare me the details. I’ll provide the babysitting. The rest is up to you.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Early on the morning of New Year’s Eve, Shane and Kendra set out in his car for northern California’s wine country. They’d been a little surprised when they’d dropped Matt off at Pop’s house and found Shane’s mother there too.
“Nancy’s going to help me watch the boys,” Pop explained. “Brandon’s spending the night here too. Alicia and Ryan are going to celebrate New Year’s Eve at one of those fancy hotels downtown.”
Kendra couldn’t help wondering if Alicia and Ryan would be at the same hotel where Shane had stayed. If they were, she wished them a romantic evening as spicy as the one she and Shane had shared there. Minus the morning after blow-up, of course.
Thinking back to that night in Shane’s hotel room made her warm inside. And what would she and Shane be doing tonight at the stroke of midnight?
“You got kind of quiet,” Shane said, interrupting her thoughts.
“I’m looking forward to our getaway. How about you?”
Shane kept his eyes on the road, but a smile crept across his face. “Definitely,” he said.
In a little over an hour, they’d made their way through the rolling hills of wine country to arrive at their inn a few minutes before noon, in time for the early check-in Shane had arranged.
“We’re lucky there’s not even a bit of rain today,” he said as they pulled into the parking lot. “This time of year, it can be chilly and even a little rainy. But it feels kind of mild. Must be almost sixty degrees out.”
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said. “And I’d much rather enjoy quiet time here with you than spend New Year’s Eve in some glitzy bash filled with lots of people and loud music.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were checked into their suite, which overlooked the nearby vineyard. When Kendra caught a glimpse of the king-sized bed, she couldn’t help thinking of the night in Shane’s downtown hotel room. With a white duvet cover over a thick comforter and six pillows propped against the headboard, a feeling of déjà vu enveloped her. She stole a glance at him to see if he might be having similar thoughts, but he was busy bringing their bags in from the hallway.
Moving to the sitting area, she gushed over the huge flat screen TV.
“I hope we won’t be watching much of that,” he said.
“Not even on New Year’s Eve?”
“Especially not on New Year’s Eve.”
“Well, look what I found in the fridge over here by the wet bar,” she said. “A bottle of champagne with a note from the manager saying: With best wishes. Enjo
y!”
“I hope we’ll have something to celebrate.”
“Of course, we will. It’s New Year’s Eve.”
“Right,” Shane said. “And I want to make it a night to remember.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Really? How so?”
“Maybe I’ll keep you guessing about all of the plans. In the meantime, how about some lunch?”
A few minutes later they were at a nearby bakery café Shane said had been recommended by the manager at the inn. Taking advantage of the mild weather, they sat at a table on the nearly deserted outdoor patio with a fire pit providing some additional warmth.
After the waitress took their order, Shane looked at Kendra. “Can we talk about a few things?”
“Yeah, I think we need to.”
“First, I want to say that coming back to San Francisco and reuniting with you is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Do you really mean that?” She loved what she’d heard but wanted to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“I do.” He reached over and took her hand. “And I’m not going anywhere for a while.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was brought to QJV specifically to solve some information technology security problems and make sure the infrastructure is totally secure. Unless I screw up big time, I’m pretty much guaranteed a job for at least five years.”
“This is the first time I heard about that.”
“It’s kind of top secret. Not the sort of thing Clint Wheeler wants included in a press release.”
“Really?” It felt like Shane was leading her somewhere. But where?
“Really,” he said. “Like I said, I’m basically guaranteed to be in San Francisco for at least the next five years. That’s all I can plan for now. We’d have to take it from there.”
“That sounds…promising.”
They were interrupted when the waitress brought their sandwiches to the table. Suddenly Shane’s eyes flashed, and he asked the waitress for some extra napkins.
“Afraid we’re going to get sloppy?” Kendra smiled.
“No, but that fire pit gave me an idea.”
“Now you’ve got me confused.”
When the waitress dropped off a small stack of paper napkins, Shane pulled a pen from his inside jacket pocket. “I want to make a future with you, but we have a lot of…I don’t know, baggage or deep hurts…things from the past that we’re having trouble letting go.”
“I would agree with that.”
He scribbled on one of the napkins and held it up for her to see. “I’m angry that you didn’t contact me for over six years to let me know you were pregnant and gave birth to my son.”
“I understand,” Kendra said.
Then he stood up, took a few steps to the fire pit, and dropped the napkin into the flames. “I’m letting it go. I’m done with being angry about that. It’s over.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
She looked at him incredulously. What could she possibly say in response?
He handed his pen and a paper napkin to her. “Can you let your hurts go too?”
She paused for a few seconds before slowly writing and then said, “I’m angry that you had sex with me almost constantly for two months and then left town without ever contacting me again.”
“Can you let it go?” His stare intensified. “If you put your words into that fire, then they’re gone. Let it go, and we’ll start fresh.”
“I want to, but—”
“Come on, are you all in?” He squeezed her hand.
She took a deep breath and put her hand over her mouth. Could she let it go? She’d carried her hurt and anger for so many years that they’d become as much a part of her as her eyes or nose.
It could be so perfect with Shane if she forgave him for being an immature young guy back then. But could she so easily release something she’d been clinging to for so long?
Taking measured breaths, she crumpled the napkin and walked to the fire pit. She looked back at Shane as she tossed the paper into the flames.
“Yeah, I’m all in,” she said. “I don’t want to be angry at you anymore.”
He moved toward her and took her into his arms, kissing her deeply. No other customers were on the patio, but she wouldn’t have cared if there’d been a crowd staring at them. She felt the warmth from the fire pit behind her and knew all of their old hurts were making their way into the atmosphere in a smoky farewell. There was only the future to look forward to.
He pulled back from her, looked her in the eye, and said, “I love you. It’s always been you. But it took me way too long to figure it out.”
He loves me!
He’d said it, and she knew she wasn’t dreaming. Even though this was a moment she now knew she’d been secretly dreaming of for years. Her world began spinning, faster and faster, blurring before her eyes.
But what did it mean? A return to their shared intimacy?
She wanted that. After what happened in Shane’s bed at his downtown hotel, she knew she wanted that night after night.
Could it lead to more? Everything she wanted—Shane as her lifelong partner, lover, everything? Raising Matt together, every step of the way?
“I love you too, Shane. I’ve been fighting it, but I’m done fighting.”
He kissed her again, and she felt his love coursing through her. She was spinning through a wonderland lit by golden flames, the glow supplied by the fire pit where they’d laid all their old hurts to rest.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, they both turned, and she saw that the waitress was standing nearby, looking puzzled and amused at the same time. The young woman approached Shane and said, “I have the assortment of petit fours you requested for dessert. And I’ll bring some hot cocoa right out.”
Returning to their table, Kendra looked over the small tray of delicately iced tiny cakes. “When did you order dessert?”
“Uh, earlier… You know, they have a sample wedding cake in the bakery inside.” He held the tray out to her. “Would you like one?”
“One of these desserts or a wedding cake?” Was Shane joking or was he confused? Reaching for a white iced cake in the middle of the tray, her eyes grew wide. “What the…?”
A sparkling ring with a princess-cut diamond surrounded by two rows of smaller diamonds was tucked between two small pastries.
Shane rose from his seat and dropped onto one knee.
“Will you marry me? I love you, and I want us to be together forever.”
Her mouth flew open in surprise. Had Shane asked her to marry him?
An instant later, she was able to cry out, “Yes! That’s what I want too.”
Shane retrieved the ring from the pastry tray and slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand. He then leaned forward to kiss her. They broke their kiss and laughed together as they caught sight of the two shop employees standing in the doorway of the café, clapping and laughing and sharing in their joy.
* * *
Back in their room at the inn a short while later, Kendra tried to remain calm. But the excitement of Shane’s proposal on the patio had her head in a whirl.
I’m going to be Shane’s wife!
Shane turned to her and said, “I’m glad we agree that the past is just that—the past. So where do we go from here?”
“All I know is that I want to go wherever you’re going.”
“Well, I have news for you. That’s exactly where you’re going. Now that I’ve found you again, I’m never letting you go.”
He’d better not ever let her go. She’d do everything she could to make sure he’d never want to.
What a crazy ride they’d had already. “You really did turn my world upside down. But guess what?” She tenderly ran her hand across his cheek. “I love upside down.”
“I love upside down too.” Shane laughed. “But only with you.”
“I thought my life was perfect before you came ba
ck. But now I know it wasn’t.”
“I want our wedding to be perfect too.” He appeared to be in thought for a moment. “You know the Japanese Gardens at the park near your house?” She nodded, and he continued, “I hear it’s beautiful there in the spring. There’s a spot right in front of the koi pond that would be perfect for a small wedding ceremony.”
“Four or five months from now? I don’t know if I can wait that long to officially be your wife.”
“Hold on,” he said, with a devilish grin. “I’m not suggesting we wait until our wedding night to make love again, if that’s what you’re thinking. Every single night starting right now works for me.”
“Me too,” she giggled. “I don’t have a problem with that at all.” Her voice turned serious. “What I want most of all is for us to be a real couple and a real family.”
“I think we already are.” Shane stared deep into her eyes. “Look, I want to do everything right this time. I know we set fire to our hurts from the past a few minutes ago. But we did mess things up the first time around. Both of us. The only part we did right was creating our perfect son.”
“We did do a good job with that part,” she agreed, clasping his hands.
“This is going to be forever. I swear it will. Let’s take the time to make the day that we say our vows more than special.”
“You mean fancy clothes, flowers … the whole nine yards?”
“I do. I mean, I’m an investor in a reality TV production company. Don’t you think along the way I’ve seen a few of those shows where women obsess over picking exactly the right wedding gown?”
She frowned. “But I don’t need all that drama.”
“Drama, no. But it’s important to me that our wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life. I want everything to be perfect for you.” He squeezed her hands.
“Are you turning sentimental on me?”
“That’s me all day,” he said with a straight face and then smirked.
“Get real, Shane.”
“Look, I know from seeing a few of those bride shows that you can’t walk into a bridal shop, pick out a gown, and wear it to your wedding the next day.”
“You’ve got that right.”